Global Partitions Lecture Series

“Irish Partition and Brexit in Historical Context” 

Topic: Brexit’s Impact across the United Kingdom

Dr. Anna Oltman is a lecturer and researcher in international human rights with a focus on the politics of refugees and asylum. She completed her doctoral research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2020, where she taught courses on human rights, international relations, and American foreign policy. Dr. Oltman’s research is on the institutional and political sources of compliance with international human rights agreements. Her current project focuses on the individualized systems through which countries process claims to asylum, what are known as “Refugee Status Determination” procedures, and the shortcomings of individual rights claims for providing protection to vulnerable migrant communities.

RESOURCES

• Webinar Recording
• Irish-Partition Presentation

The Border 

• “The history of the Irish Border: From Plantation to Brexit.” Ronan McGreevy. The Irish Times.
• “Revealed: Number of border crossings between Ireland and the Republic.” Belfast Telegraph.
• Drawing the Line: The Irish Border in British Politics. Ivan Gibbons.
• Birth of the Border: The Impact of Partition on Ireland. Cormac Moore.
• “Residents of historic Irish border village Pettigo that was repeatedly bombed during the Troubles reveal Brexit fears.” Kieran Dineen. The Irish Sun.

Irish History 

• “What were The Troubles? Northern Ireland spotlight.” Video by the Imperial War Museum.
• “A history of Ireland for outsiders: From Henry VIII to the Troubles.” Ronan McGreevy. The Irish Times.
• “Good Friday Agreement: The peace deal that ended the Northern Ireland Troubles 20 years ago.” Ben Kelly. The Independent.
• “From certain war to uncertain peace: Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement turns 20.” John W. Mackey. The Conversation.
• Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland. Patrick Radden Keefe.
• “Investigations into the Troubles are vital—and that includes ex-soldiers.” Kieran McEvoy. The Guardian.
• “Bloody Sunday 1972: The day’s events explained.” Video by On Demand News.

Brexit 

• “Brexit: What is the Northern Ireland Protocol and why are there checks?” Tom Edgington and Chris Morris. BBC.
• “In Northern Ireland there is both division and consensus between different ethno-national groups on Brexit.” John Garry.
• “Brexit and Ireland, north and south.” By Cathy Gormley-Heenan. UK in a Changing Europe.
• “How Brexit could create a crisis at the Irish border.” Video by Vox.
• “Tony Blair and John Major: Brexit would close Irish border.” Heather Stewart. The Guardian.

“Global Partitions: Self-determination in Southern Africa — The contending forces of division and unification from the colonial to post-colonial eras” 

Topic: Historical and colonial contexts in South Africa and beyond

Heinz Klug will present on partition through a historical and contemporary lens. Featuring Southern Africa as the case study, Klug will use these lenses to help attendees understand the conditions that either hinder or facilitate partition, particularly in the colonial and post-colonial context.

Heinz Klug is Evjue-Bascom Professor of Law and the Sheldon B. Lubar Distinguished research Chair at the University of Wisconsin Law School and Visiting Professor in the School of Law at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Growing up in Durban, South Africa, he participated in the anti-apartheid struggle, spent 11 years in exile and returned to South Africa in 1990 as a member of the ANC Land Commission and researcher for Zola Skweyiya, chairperson of the ANC Constitutional Committee. He was also a team member on the World Bank mission to South Africa on Land Reform and Rural Restructuring. He has taught at Wisconsin since September 1996.